Thursday, August 27, 2009

So last week I was utterly convinced I had gout - despite being only 32 - because of my research on the internets. And the pain dropped off from excruciating last Wed/Thurs to manageable Sat/Sun. Monday was static, no change. Tuesday it got worse. Today I can barely walk. Despite my change in diet and hydration, the pain is back with a vengeance.

Yesterday I finally went to the doctor. She said that it's possible it is gout, but the swelling wasn't really that bad as would be expected. And that something that painful can be a minor fracture or even caused by bad shoe support. So today I had blood taken (that clutch is going to kill me) even though doc said you're not going to see the uric acid levels unless it's within 48 hours of the flare-up.

So now I'm searching my memory of last weekend, why it would hurt less then, then act back up. And that would be lack of activity - no extended walking, no driving, etc. And that sounds like a break. And right now my foot is screaming at me in peals of pain and I'm wondering where the fuck I can get a quick x-ray on the cheap. And then quickly realizing that when you break any part of your fucking foot, they just charge you a bundle for the exam and say "hey, keep off it woudja?" Might get a gimp shoe if you're lucky.

If it's gout, it should've been gone by now, especially with the care I've been taking of myself. If it's a break - how the hell did I break my foot? Or toe or whatever? If it's neither then WTF is it?

So I eagerly await the blood results tomorrow. I'm thinking about venturing the basement stairs to get that gimp shoe we have down there. And after a week of being off the sauce I think Miller Time's going to show up today. A little early to make up for lost time. And it will bring wings.

10 comments:

You would think that something so painful would have a cause that you could pinpoint or a damage point that you could remember. Keep doing what you are doing. Millions of dollars go into their education and they can't seem to diagnos anything that isn't as obvious as an arrow through your or the sniffles. Take care. Thanks for the update.

For your sake, I hope it's NOT gout. I've dealt with it for almost 20 years and about 3 of them before it was officially diagnosed. I take meds for it, but also avoid regular intake of foods with high levels of purines in them, i.e., beef, beer, red wine, asparagus, cauliflower. There's a long list of these.

Sometimes it seems a bit inconsistent as to what causes it, but once under control, it is pretty easy to live with.

Yeah, that happens to me too. The moment I feel pain, I begin to look back to days past. What did I eat??? How much water did I not drink??? And then I just sigh and wait for the pain to become unbearable.

Thanks for all of your comments. Still awaiting the doc's results, but Operation Maybe It's a Break was a rousing success. Ice packs and the gimp "immobilization" boot all evening and my pain today is at about 25% of what it was yesterday. More of that today and we'll see how tomorrow turns.

Ricky, When I read aloud your story my wife thought I was ready about my experience. I have been deally with what I thought was gout for some 23 days now. I also have not had a drink of alcohol some I'm really getting crabby. Initially I believed it to be gout as it was a known side effect of Niacin which my doctor prescribed at a high dose to lower my triglycerides. I had been on this med for 2 weeks when I suffered the first attack. My doctor did blood test the next morning and my uric acid level were in the normal range and the white blood cell counts were also normal. I guess you would expect them both to be high with gout. Which no better explanation than it looks like gout so it must be gout I've now been on three different prescriptions of which some made it better but never go away completely. Somedays I hobble to work and others I can not get shoe on or put pressure on it at all. My doctor now believes that perhaps it is not gout after all and is sending me to a Podiatrists. By the way have I mentioned I haven't had a drink in 23 days.

I'm lucky that my doctor is reasonable and conscious of drug issues and said that IF it was gout that there would NOT be any drug intervention until 3rd outbreak or so.

(and krill oil and oatmeal can rock out that cholesterol if you stick to it)

Needless to say, I've been in pain for 6 weeks now, and it appears the culprit may be sesamoiditis, though I haven't been to a podiatrist because I simply don't have the cash for the copays and tests. And it's getting better.

Please return to my post and click the "GOUT" tag to see my five post legacy on the topic, including my lap panels.

I wish you luck - feel free to contact me at ejmdesigns@gmail.com with your follow-up or any questions.

It all depends. If your husband matches up, he probably has it. Click the "gout" tag at the bottom of the post and see my progress through posts.

I've been successfully diagnosed, had another blow-up, wiped my food slate, and figured beef was my trigger food. Minor flare-ups since then are a hard feed of tart cherry juice (organic section) and lots and lots of water.